A Light in the Dark
by Aggron Prime
Summary: When a newly awakened Guardian finds herself in a strange, new world, she must fight for survival. But she is not alone. Joined by two others, they act as the spear that will destroy the Darkness. But with the fate of the last city on Earth in their hands, are they up to the challenge or will they fall like thousands before them? [HIATUS]
1. A New Perspective

**Greetings one and all! This is my second Fanfiction, and while I have no plans to stop RGU (See my profile), I wanted to do a Destiny story revolving around one of my own in-game characters. It will be one filled with action, drama, hardships and triumphs, and what the hell, maybe a little romance along the way. As some of my readers know, although my other story is rated T, I DO curse, so if you have a problem with that, please go read something else. Without further ado…my first Destiny fanfic: A Light in the Dark!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my OC's. All rights and anything to do with Destiny belong to Bungie and Activision.**

A New Perspective

The white star-like being floated through the air, humming a tune to itself as it scanned the nearby environment. It was searching for something , more like some _one_ , and although it could not pinpoint a location, it sensed a pull in a particular direction, and was determined to find the source.

As it floated over rusted, long-forgotten vehicles of old, it was lost deep in thought. _What will my Guardian be like? Will we be able to work together to defeat the Darkness or will we crumble and fall, just like thousands before us?_ It was so caught up in its own musings that it almost ran straight into a skeleton. As it floated before the pile of bones, it couldn't help but notice that the pull was significantly stronger, as if the Traveler itself was showing him that this was the Guardian it was looking for, the one they had all been searching for.

It sat there pushing and pulling its triangle-like appendages, as if weighing its options. A roar from afar broke it from its thoughts and made its choice for him. Taking a deep 'breath' it started the restoration process. First cleaning the bones, repairing and replacing lost tissue and muscle, finishing with skin and organ replication from its databanks.

Finally the white star was able to get a good look at person lying on the snow covered ground. She was clearly human, and female by the way her body was shaped and that she had quite… obvious womanly features. She had a strange colored hair, almost bluish-lilac, and bright blue eyes. Her skin color was lightly tanned and her face bore no scars or other marks.

It snapped out of its trance when it heard another roar, this one much closer than before. It quickly started the last part of the process: Reviving the fallen Guardian with the small amount of Traveler's light that resided within and permanently bond with the person on the ground. It quickly transported some simple armor as the person started to regain consciousness

"Guardian? Guardian, wake up. We need to move" came a voice, distinctly male from beyond the blackness of her vision. She tried to open her eyes, but the bright light made her quickly rethink that decision. "Wh-whose there? Where am I?" She asked, finally opening her eyes. A white floating star was floating right in front of her face. She opened her mouth to scream, but the floating star beat her to the punch. "Please don't scream," he said reassuringly. "You must have many questions, which I will do my best to answer, but right now we need to move." Reluctantly, she nodded and started to move inside a nearby building.

"What are you?" She asked again. "I'm a Ghost. Well I'm _your_ Ghost now. As a Guardian, you are sworn to fight against the Darkness to protect the last city on Earth. I'm here to act as a guide for all Guardian related issues and inquiries. I also provide tactical information as well as a communication hub to the Tower. But I can't call you _Human_ all the time; do you remember your name?" She thought really hard as they made their way through the remains of the rusted structure.

"Sorry, I can't remember anything." She said. Ghost nodded in understanding. "That's alright. Most Guardians can't remember anything before they are reborn. How about we give you a new name? Just think about it." She nodded as they made their way through the structure, passing by things that were hundreds of years old. Ghost showed her to a weapon that was somehow, relatively new. Ghost explained that it was a scout rifle and how to operate it.

"Where is the ammo?" She asked as they made their way outside, moving towards what Ghost called the Cosmodrome. "It is stored inside your armor, just like me. When I'm not floating around out here, obviously." He said, in a mocking tone, with a light chuckle. She just rolled her eyes in response. They plowed through a few dozen Fallen, as Ghost had pointed out. She had a knack for hitting them in the head and watched with some sense of satisfaction as their body collapsed and a blue wisp escape into the air. "Got a name in mind yet?" He asked as they finally entered the looming building as night approached.

"Still nothing. Why don't you pick something out?" She said as she dropped a few Dregs and a couple Vandals. Ghost disappeared, most likely into her armor, was quiet for a few minutes. She moved through the winding corridors with relative ease. All of a sudden, a Vandal jumped out of a vent and tackled her. She struggled and threw him off. She hit him with the butt of her rifle and repeatedly punched his head again and again. She stopped when she heard a wet _crack_ as her fist became coated in a slick red substance.

"I think its dead. You can stop now." Ghost said dryly. She stood up and moved on, after wiping the blood off and grabbing her rifle. "What exactly are we looking for?" she asked. "Hope" Ghost replied, absentmindedly. "Were looking for hope? I though you said we needed to find a way to reach the Tower?" she said, confused. Shaking himself out of his musings, Ghost materialized in front of her, his blue eye focused on her, but also seemed to be searching for something.

"What do you think of Hope? It signifies the purpose Guardians serve as well as the idea they represent for the last city of Earth. Hope against the Darkness, hope for a brighter future. And hope we can find a ship to get out of this crappy place." He said finally. She thought it over as they entered a large room with a gaping hole in the ceiling. "Hope. I like it. Thanks Ghost." He bobbed slowly next to her. "Anytime, Hope." If he could smile he would be.

Ghost scanned the last useable ship there, seeing if it had the capability to fly. They had checked all the other ones, but they were just heaps of rust, long forgotten and completely useless. "I think I found something." Ghost said, as he disappeared, mostly into the ship. Hope whipped her head around when she heard a high pitched scream and what sounded like running. She could hear gunfire and slid behind some cover, rifle pointed at the corridor. All of a sudden a humanoid figure came careening around the corner, followed closely be an enormous creature.

This creature had four arms and was at least twice her size. He carried a large shotgun-like Shrapnel Launcher and was wielding it like a club, trying to hit the figure in front of him. "What is that?" Hope shouted as she tried to put shots into its head. Ghost didn't even break to answer "An Archon Priest from the Fallen House of Devils. Be careful. He is quite strong, and from the looks of it, quite angry too." He said warily, continuing on his work.

The smaller figure leapt over a crumbling concrete wall just at the Archon let out an enraged roar and blew away half of the wall. The two guardians took turns shooting the Archon in the back, face and whatever other weak points they could exploit in its armor. It let out a pained scream as bullets riddled its body. In a last ditch effort, the large Fallen Priest lunged at the other guardian and knocked the other guardian away. He slowly approached as it scrambled backwards, but suddenly stopped moving as panic overtook all other emotions and it passed out.

"No!" Hope yelled as she threw her weapon beside her and jumped on its shoulders, latching her arms around his head. The archon tried to knock her off by slamming her into concrete pillars, but to no avail. She punched it in the head again and again, not letting go, even when a piece of rebar punched through her abdomen. Hope was so focused on beating its brains out that she didn't notice her fist was coated in an orange flame as it slowly burned through the archon's armor and started hammering his skull.

Eventually, his skull had taken enough and Hope was rewarded with a wet _crack_ as her fist caved his head in. His large body hit the ground, motionless, the guardian falling on top of him. She crawled towards her comrade, panting heavily and clutching her side. "Will *pant* be *pant* alright? *pant pant*" She asked, confused and light-headed from the blood loss, before passing out as well.

Ghost appeared a moment later to take in the scene: The archon was clearly dead, blood pouring from his skull, the other guardian had passed out due to fright and Hope was also passed out, blood leaking from her stomach area. _Oh no, she is going into hypovolemic shock. I need to get her to the Tower! But I can't leave this other guardian for the Fallen to find. The ship will be cramped, but I think I can manage it._ He thought to himself as the transported both guardians, as well as a symbol of the archon, as proof of his demise, to the ship. As it took off towards the Tower: The last city of Earth, a mysterious figure watched from afar. _There is hope for the Light after all, young guardians. And you will be the spear that pierces the heart of the Darkness. Your path ahead is difficult and riddled with danger, but I believe you and your other allies can overcome any challenge in front of you_. It thought before winking out of sight.

 **How was that for the first chapter? Hope you had fun reading it! Chapter two will be up sometime soon. Please review, but no flames. I do appreciate constructive criticism though. Peace out!**


	2. Learning the Ropes and Some Rope Burn

**Thanks to all of you wonderful people who took time out of their day to read my story. To reward your hard work, here is another chapter! Hope you like it and don't forget to drop a like, favorite or follow it if you want. Without further ado… here is chapter 2!**

Learning the Ropes… and Rope burn

 _Guardian… guardian… wake up guardian…_ came a whisper from beyond her knowledge, or so she thought. Stretching and flexing her tired limbs, Hope slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the harsh light of the room she was currently in. It was some sort of medical wing by the looks of the machines and devices scattered around the room. Looking to her right she found the 'otherworldly' voice. Turns out Ghost had a dry sense of humor and enjoyed teasing his guardian.

As she finished putting on her robes, a doctor had entered. "Ah, I'm glad you're awake. I wasn't sure how long you would be out. Are you feeling alright?" Hope nodded in affirmation. "Good. Now do you remember what happened to you? From what I gathered from your ghost, it was quite the tale." So she told how she 'woke up' and the events that transpired thereafter. When she finished regaling her tale, the doctor had a look up shock on his face. "By the way, did you treat any other people besides me?" The doctor's face quickly switched to a more cheerful expression. "I did. There was nothing wrong with the young Huntress, besides a few cuts and bruises, which were mended easily enough. She had just passed out due to fright. Not like your injuries however."

She was about to open her mouth to ask, but the doctor gave her a 'its better if you don't ask' look, and she merely nodded. He then explained that she was waiting in the hall to thank Hope properly and that someone named The Speaker wanted to talk to her, and her Ghost already knew where to go. With a smile, she shook her hand and left without another word.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" a young, clearly female voice squealed as Hope's diaphragm was being crushed in the kind-hearted embrace. She had to punch the young girl's arm to get her to let go and step back, allowing Hope some breathing room. She got a good look at her fellow guardian. She stood about even with her, but her skin was a deep purple. She had bright green eyes and silver hair that flowed freely down to her upper back.

"Uh… your welcome?" Hope said awkwardly. She couldn't help but stare at the girl's skin tone, earning a giggle from her. "What, never seen an Awoken before?" Hope just shook her head. "So what is your name?" she asked. Shaken from her stare she stuttered out a response. "What? Uh… it's Hope. Who are you?" The girls smiled sweetly, as Hope thought she was fond of that.

"Clair. Clair Sov. Pleasure to finally meet my savior in person." She said sweetly.

"It isn't a big deal. You would have done the same for me." Hope responded.

"Not likely. I am not that great of a fighter and when I get really scared I have panic attacks." Clair said hopelessly.

"Not a good thing for a Guardian to have." Her ghost said in a flat tone, materializing out of thin air and startling both women. Clair scolded her ghost about timing as they walked to the Speaker's room in the North Hall of the Tower, making small talk as they went.

Clair knocked on the large door. "Come in." said a deep voice, obviously male. As the two guardians entered the saw four people standing around a large table. They looked up as they saw the two enter. "Greetings, guardians," a man in white robes said. "I am the Speaker. And who might you be, young ones?" He had an aura of experience, nobility even, but the young guardians were glad he didn't try to shove it down their throats.

"My name is Clair, and this is my savior, Hope." She said cheerily, with a warm, welcoming smile.

"Ah, yes the very same." He said, walking around the table. "Your ghost told me you killed Riksis all by yourself. Is that true?" He asked, looking her over, as if trying to read her.

"No that isn't. If Clair here didn't help me, I probably would not be here standing before you today." She answered coolly.

That earned her a small chuckle from the Speaker and the ones standing behind him, much to her confusion. "Modesty and humility are qualities few guardians possess these days. I am glad you are not boasting of your adventures in the halls. Ah, but where are my manners?" He said, pointing a finger in the air. "I have yet to introduce you to the fine Vanguards behind me." He gestured to the first one. "This is Commander Zavala. He is in charge of all the Titans in the Tower and beyond." The two guardians nodded in understanding.

"Ikora Ray. She is in charge of all those of the Warlock class. Hope, you will report to her for all your Warlock duties, unless otherwise instructed by her." Hope nodded.

"It will be a pleasure working with you, Miss Ray." Hope said, bowing politely.

"No need to be so formal, guardian." She said with another light chuckle. "We will be working together quite a bit in the future. Pushing back the Darkness is difficult work."

"I am ready to help in any way I can. And I believe one such as yourself deserves respect. All of you do." Hope added, raising her voice so all in the room could hear.

"Last but not least Cayde-6. He in in command of all the Hunters in the Tower. Guardian Clair, you will report to him." Clair merely smiled and waved, which Cayde returned. Hope however was another story. She was staring at the man under the cloak. Well, _man_ was a bit of a stretch. He looked humanoid, but where a face should be, there was only metal and light. Cayde caught her staring and started laughing, causing her to break eye contact and look at the ground, clearly embarrassed.

"So I take it you have never seen and Exo before?" Hope shook her head without making eye contact. "Well, we are quite similar to you, other than not needing food or sleep, or other… basic functions. But that doesn't mean we don't enjoy ourselves or have fun. In fact I thi-" Cayde was cut off by a glare from Ikora.

"Anyway guardians, I believe a tour of the Tower is in order." Ikora said cheerily, her gaze not leaving Cayde for a second. "But I am afraid we are too busy with our duties. We can give your Ghosts the information you might need for getting used to the Tower, but then I am afraid we must return to work. But who can take the time to give them a tour. Most of the guardians are either on mission or already in a fire team."

"Um… excuse me but what is a fire team?" Clair asked sweetly.

"A fire team is a group of usually two to three guardians who work together to fight the Darkness. When young guardians such as yourself find the Tower, you are usually paired with a more experienced member, who can show you the ropes. Only the most experienced, or stupid…" throwing a glance at Cayde, "Venture out alone." Ikora continued. "But you situation is unusual. All of the available guardians are either already in a fire team or work solo. I can't think of anyone who would be able… or willing to show you around." Trying to think of any available members.

"Not everyone." A deep voice responded. They all looked at Zavala, waiting for him to continue. "ANGL-21 is available, and she is fairly new. A perfect tour guide." He said with a smile.

 _Smiling must be rare for him_. Hope thought as the other Vanguards gave him a quizzical look.

"Are you sure?" Cayde asked, skepticism apparent in his voice.

"Quite. In fact he is on her way here as we speak." The Commander added.

The Vanguards quickly dismissed the two new guardians, saying that they would give their Ghosts all the details they would need. When the doors closed, Cayde shot a hurt look at Ikora. "You didn't have to say such mean things. My heart can't take these insults much longer." He announced in mock hurt.

"You can be an ass at times, but I still love you." She said, playfully punching him in the arm.

The Speaker cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "If we could move on to more pressing matters?" They all nodded in agreement while Cayde rubbed his arm. "Did anyone notice their light?" Cayde was the first one to speak up. "The Hunter's light was fairly standard, but that Warlock…" He trailed off, deep in thought.

Commander Zavala was next to speak up. "We have all seen the footage. She took down an Archon Priest single-handedly. Even some of my best Titans would be hard pressed to manage that. And no offence Ikora, but warlocks aren't the sturdiest in close quarters.

Ikora gave him a polite nod before she spoke. "Almost every new warlock I have seen come through here have been Voidwalkers. The last time I saw a Sunsinger was… was a long time ago." She said with a saddened tone.

"This is something we must keep an eye on. Not just her specifically, but those around her. See how they interact, how they feel, how their Light changes its flow. Now I know we could speak about this matter for hours, but I am sure we all have duties to perform. I will leave it to you to give the necessary instructions to their Ghosts. May you always walk in the Light." The Speaker said with a sense of finality, letting the vanguards know the meeting was adjourned. The Speaker and Zavala quickly left, but Ikora and Cayde stayed behind momentarily after tending to the new guardians' ghosts.

"Do you really think there is something different about that warlock?" She asked her husband.

"I don't know." He said with a shrug. "Besides you are the expert on warlocks. What is your opinion?"

"Her Light definitely strikes me as 'off' but not necessarily in a bad way. I just feel there is something else, hidden deep within her. Whether it harbors secrets of the Light or ushers of Darkness we may never know. But until we do, I say we follow the Speaker's recommendation and watch her and her teammates closely."

Cayde nodded seriously, but then perked up. "Well we have a few hours before we have to be here to receive our daily reports. Want to do something?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. It depends what you have in mind." She said playfully, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Oh, I can think of a few things." He said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You're so bad," She said smiling playfully, kissing him on the lips. "Here?"

"No. Remember what happened last time? I didn't think an Awoken could turn that white." He said chuckling.

She let out a small laugh at the memory of Commander Zavala catching them doing the dirty deed on the main table. He had apparently forgotten something and had gone back to get it. The two lovebirds had forgotten to lock the doors and when the commander came in, well… things just went south. Shaking the memory from their thoughts, the two vanguards ran off to find the nearest private spot.

ANGL-21 was grumbling to herself and was quite pissed off. _I was enjoying my drink in my favorite bar, enjoying myself, when I get a call from Commander Zavala to come down and give some noobies the grand tour. Now, while I would never ignore an order from him, I'm still fucking pissed that he had to call me right then. He could have waited 10 minutes, but nooooo, I had to give them the tour now. Fucking new bloods, doubt they will even last a week._ People and other guardians scrambled out of her way as she stomped down the halls, her armored feet resounding off the metal flooring. Titans were known to have short tempers and she was no exception. A hunter dived to the floor as she punched a wall in anger, her fist going right through it. _I'll give them a 'grand tour' alright! I'll shove my foot so far up their asses that they will be able to taste every fucking aspect of it!_

Clair and Hope waited down the hall from the main meeting hall. They had been standing around for about 10 minutes now, idly chatting with each other and their Ghosts. They had found out not only were there three types of guardians, but there were different roles each one could fill, called subclasses. Titans could be either a Defender or a Striker. Hunters were known to be either Bladedancers or Gunslingers. Finally, Warlocks either followed the path of the Voidwalker or of the Sunsinger. But there had not been a Sunsinger for a long, long time. Their Ghosts had also heard rumors of ancient tomes and arcane arts that held secrets to long lost abilities of the Light. But they were only rumors, and far-fetched ones at that. They stopped chatting when they heard heavy footfalls around the corner.

"Are you the two _guardians_ I was supposed to tour?" asked a female voice, barely containing her anger.

"I suppose so. Who are you?" Hope asked, cocking her head.

"ANGL-21." She responded flatly.

"A-N-What?" Clair asked innocently.

The titan turned towards the smaller hunter. She stood over her by nearly a foot. "A.N.G.L.-21. But if you two are unable to grasp even that simple concept, you may call me Angel." She said, almost as a snarl.

"Alright! Nice to meet you Angel." The hunter replied giddily, as if the previous hateful comment hadn't even registered in her brain.

The titan frowned inside her helmet. _This girl's cheeriness is revolting. I give her a day before she is at the end of a Fallen blade._ She turned her head to the warlock next to her. She was mildly surprised when she saw the angered look in her eyes. She looked Hope up and down, examining every detail of her stature. _Warlocks are quite clever. And there is a fire in her eyes. But she is still inexperienced. I give her four days, max._ A voice broke her out of her train of thought.

"My name is Clair. Clair Sov. I am a Hunter. Bladesinger subclass, if you couldn't guess already." She smiled and let out a small laugh, and Angel was sorely tempted to punch her in the face. She held off, but barely.

Angel introduced herself next. "Not that it matters to any of you, but my name is ANGL-21, or Angel as you already know. I am a Titan, Defender subclass." She looked to the warlock next.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "My name is Hope. I am a warlock, but I don't know my subclass. And I am guessing by your name that you are one of these Exos, correct?"

Angel scoffed and looked down at the warlock. _Pathetic. She doesn't even know what kind of subclass she is. I change my mind. I give less than a day out in the field. But she must be one of those 'Reborn' guardians. Only way she wouldn't know exactly what an Exo was._ She sighed and removed her helmet.

Her face was angular, made of the reflective metal all Exos were made of, just hers was a light grey. The top of her head was more rounded, leading to her pink eyes and mouth. "The sooner I get this done. The sooner I can ditch you two and get back to my drink." She snapped, making no attempt to cover her anger and frustration. Clair skipped happily next to her tour guide as Hope fell into step behind, glaring angrily at the back of the exo's head.

She showed them the Merchants Wing filled with vendors selling their goods, from food to rocket launchers, they had everything a guardian could ever need. As the hunter and warlock walked along in awe, the titan scoffed and continued on undeterred. As they reached the medical wing, Clair made a comment that they already were somewhat familiar with it already. Angel just scoffed again and muttered something about weakness under her breath. They passed through meeting halls, cafeterias, libraries, and even gyms, and community pools, to which she surprised the two new guardians by wading through one of the pools. She laughed at them when Hope thought she wouldn't function as well in water.

They had finally reached their final destination: the Life Wing, otherwise known as the living quarters, where all guardians resided when not on a mission. Angel asked if their ghosts had their rooms in their databanks, the nodded. She let out a huge sigh of relief. "Finally some good news! Tour is over. Now get out of the way. I need to talk to someone." She said angrily as she pushed passed them, walking the other way. As the titan angrily walked off, Clair waved and said a cheery goodbye while Hope just glared at her, mumbling obscenities under her breath.

When she was out of sight Clair turned to her friend. "Where is your room?" Clair asked her ghost to bring up her room assignment on her visor. "Block 10, Floor 7, Room 22. You?" After a moment of silence, Clair squealed with joy. "We have rooms right next to each other. How cool is that?" Removing her helmet, she flashed Clair a sincere smile. "Very cool. Let's walk there together." Clair smiled before grabbing her hand and dashing for the nearest elevator.

Commander Zavala was roaming the halls. He had just received his daily report, and while it wasn't as good as he hoped, it wasn't all bad. His titans had managed to claim a few key victories against the Darkness, both on Earth and the Moon. Plus it was a bonus that he had not come across his vanguard friends doing _that_ again on the table. The memory made him shudder. He shook his head clear as a voice angrily called out to him. Turning around, he spotted the familiar titan, who looked quite angry.

"Commander, what the _hell_ was that! Forcing me to tour some fresh blood. I don't understand! They won't last a week out there! The hunter was nervous to even pick up a weapon." She laughed at Clair's hesitancy to pick up a simple knife. "And don't even get me started on that warlock. For Traveler's sake, she doesn't even know what her subclass is! Her fucking subclass! Saying that they are guardians is like comparing the Traveler to a child's ball!" She screamed, hands clenched, seething in anger.

Commander Zavala just sighed. He had faced her angry side many times, and was one of the few who wasn't scared shitless. A pissed off titan is the last thing you want to encounter on a dark night. He remained calm as she tried to stare him down.

"Are you done yet?" He asked calmly.

She let out a loud sigh and nodded. "Good, because I am only going to say this once. All guardians have a duty to protect not only their fellow guardians, but the people of this city from the forces of Darkness. And don't tell me you haven't noticed our numbers have been slowly dwindling recently. There is something out there. Something that is killing guardians. That is why every guardian needs the best chance against the Darkness as they can get. Do you understand?" The exo merely nodded and sighed.

"Excellent. That is why starting tomorrow, you will be part of their fire team, led by the warlock. Hope was it? And since they won't have ships of their own, you will be ferrying them to Earth for their first mission. And I expect you to _follow orders_. Is that clear?" He questioned in a stern tone.

Angel visibly twitched, her anger boiling under the surface, ready to be unleashed. Then she opened the floodgates. "What the fuck! This is fucking bullshit! I can't go on a mission and babysit those weaklings at the same time! They are so weak; it's a pitiful fucking excuse! I don't know what the Traveler was fucking thinking! The warlock is so fucking clueless! And don't even get me started on the fucking hunter!" She spat, seething with unbridled rage. "She is such a big fucking pussy! She was too Traveler damned scared to pick up a knife! A fucking knife! I don't know what the fu-"

"Guardian!" Commander Zavala boomed, cutting Angel off mid-rant. "I don't know why you have such a big problem with those two and frankly, I'm tired of your constant complaining. Let's not forget whose fault it was that caused you last fire team to die." Although he looked quite calm, he was actually quite angry. Angel had only seen this side of him and it scared her completely. It was not a reassuring calm, but a hard coldness that came with being what he had been through. After seeing her recoil a bit, he continued.

"You are now part of another fire team. Don't lose them too. Go get some sleep. Traveler knows you will need it." With that, the turned away without another word. Angel was about to say something else, but the word were caught in her throat. She concentrated on her Void Light to calm down. However, her ghost interrupted her. "You should get to bed, titan. Tomorrow will be another day against the Darkness and you need to be well rested." It said flatly. Angel mumbled something under her breath and walked towards the Life Wing.

 **Sorry that chapter wasn't as action packed as some of you may have wanted. It was also probably filled with too much dialogue as well, I don't know guys and gals. I was just trying to give my characters some depth. I promise that the next one with have more action as our most beloved fire team takes on their first mission together. Till then, peace out!**


	3. Bickering on the Battlefield

**Here we are, back for chapter 3! How will our two newest guardians react when they find out who their newest teammate is? And how will this affect them in the field? Read on to find out! Reviews are always appreciated if you enjoyed it, and don't forget to follow or favorite this story if you so choose.**

Bickering on the Battlefield

Hope was talking with Clair about their upcoming mission. Although it was kind of hard to do so with the constant roar of the engines reverberating inside of the hanger, so they donned their helmets and opened a com link.

"So what do you think our mission is?" Clair asked curiously.

"I don't know," responded the warlock. "I was just told to meet here after we purchased whatever gear we needed, where Ms. Ray is supposed to introduce us to our final member and give us the details on this mission." She said, hefting the fusion rifle in her hands.

"I understand. I'm just a little worried, that's all. I mean what if we let our new teammate down?" She added, fiddling with her newly acquired sniper rifle and looking through the scope. Hope gave her a look that said' don't worry about it'. A familiar voice got their attention, however, and when they looked over the warlock vanguard was motioning them over.

"Glad you could make it!" She said with a genuine smile. "Now, as for your teammate, she will be here shortly. She already knows what you will be doing out there, so I only have to explain it to you. As you may have noticed, almost all guardians have their own personal jump ships. These jump ship allow travel to multiple planets to combat the Darkness. Besides being a means for transportation, they also store any useful items you find, extra armor, weapons, and of course your sparrow."

"Ah, not to sound stupid, but what is a sparrow?" Hope asked curiously.

Before Ikora could open her mouth, Clair stepped in. "It is a personal vehicle that allows for quick travel across vast amounts of land. I even heard they can hover over water, but I'm not sure." She gave a quick look at Ikora, who nodded in approval.

"That is correct. Now both of you have been gifted an _S-10_ variant sparrow to use. But you must connect it to the Transmat networks on each planet or your ships won't be able to track your location and send it to where you need it. That moves me on to my next point. Although we have many basic ships here in the Tower, they are without warp drives and cannot make interplanetary travel without one. Mysteriously, a specific place on earth in Old Russia, seems to have an abundance of them. You are tasked with going to the Cosmodrome in Old Russia and acquire a warp drive, one for each of you."

"Now, Hope, you are to lead this fire team, and although your other teammate will be more experienced, she will follow your orders. But please understand you are quite new and it would be pertinent to refer to her judgment, at least once in a while. Speaking of her, I can hear her now. If you will excuse me I have duties to perform. I wish you luck. May the Light of the Traveler guide you." She said as she backed out of the room and silently closed the door. They barely had time to turn back around before another door opened, revealing their newest fire team member. Hope couldn't believe her eyes. It was _her_ , the same rude tour guide from yesterday.

"What are you doing here?" Hope snapped as Clair just smiled and waved at the familiar face.

The titan balled her fists in anger. "Unfortunately I have to babysit you two. Don't expect me to follow your orders either, _warlock_." She said in an acidic tone. "I'll do my best to keep you alive, but _only_ because we need all the guardians we can get, no matter how _weak_ they may be." Angel continued, glaring at the hunter beside her. "Let's go." She said flatly before walking towards the hanger, roughly shoving Hope out of her way.

Arriving in the hanger, the three guardians were quickly transmattted to Angel's jump ship, and had received clearance to leave the Tower. They sat in silence as the ghost-piloted ship took them over the remains of Earth. Clair had her face plastered to the windows while Hope silently glared at the back of the titan's head. _She is going to be a huge pain. She is rude and selfish, not to mention stubborn. This is going to sooooo much fun working with her_. Hope thought sarcastically.

"Were here." Angel said in a flat tone 30 minutes later.

As they ship hovered over the surface, the three guardians were trasmatted out. Angel was actually surprised when the other two were able to stay on their feet. She summoned her sparrow, but grumbled and transmatted it back when she remembered they didn't have theirs and had to walk. As the ship rose into orbit, the three made their way to the Sparrow Transmat station.

As they came over a ridge, Angel spotted a group of Fallen, led by a captain. Not wanting to get spotted, she shoved the other two down and hit the dirt. Hope started to voice a complaint about the rough treatment when Angel just pointed at the group of enemies, which quickly cut her complaint short. The hunter and warlock started to discuss the best plan of attack, offering points and counter points. Angel quickly grew bored and frustrated at their inaction and decided to take matters into her own hands.

Moving away from her teammates, she crouched behind a rock and readied a grenade. Counting down from ten she chucked the grenade high into the air, the trajectory provided by her ghost. Leaping over the rock, she sprinted headlong towards the unsuspecting group. The grenade landed by a few dregs and vandals and detonated, the swirling fury of the Void ripped apart their bodies, purging the Darkness within. Those lucky enough to be outside the blast zone were met with a greeting of bullets from the titan's auto rifle. Their bullet-ridden bodies fell lifelessly to the dirt.

The next unfortunate Vandal was able to pull out one of his swords before he met his end when Angel put her fist through his skull, blood and brain matter flying everywhere. Wiping off her fist on her armor, she continued to wreak havoc upon the now fully aware Fallen. A dreg thought he could be clever and jump on her back to pin her, but she just grabbed him and threw the unlucky alien to the ground. Pulling out her shotgun, she put a round through his midsection with a resounding _boom_ , which jarred the two guardians on the hill out of their discussion.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hope yelled over the comm.

" _What were supposed to do, princess. Fight. Not plan out every little detail._ " Came the angry response, as Clair saw her take down another two Fallen dregs with well placed shotgun blasts.

"Should we?" Clair asked, gesturing with her head towards the chaos below.

"Cover me!" Hope said scrambling down from the ridge, rolling when she hit the bottom.

Hope ran to the aid of her fire team, charging her fusion rifle as she went. Two vandals decided a warlock would make a better target than the heavily armored titan currently shoving rounds down their throats. She brought her fusion rifle to bear on the first vandal and finished the trigger pull, resulting in the complete electrocution of the sword wielding alien. Its body was still twitching as she ran past. The second vandal was about to sink his swords through her but never got the chance as he dropped to the ground, headless.

"Thanks!" Hope said in gratitude as she ran closer to the small building.

Angel froze as she heard a loud, angry roar echo from within the small shack. If she was human she would have paled. _Another_ captain had joined his sword wielding brethren, only this once carried a shrapnel launcher. "Shit!" She yelled in surprise, diving behind a rusted car. A good thing too, as the spot she was just standing in exploded in dust and debris. She looked up just in time to see a warlock _charging_ the remaining Fallen. No, no warlock she knew would do something that stupid, it had to be Hope.

"What the fuck are you doing? Get out of here!" She yelled loud enough for the warlock to hear. Much to her frustration the warlock ignored her and only picked up her pace. "Fuck!" She yelled and picked up her rifle, shredding the nearest dreg with almost a full clip of ammo. Reading another grenade, she chucked it a few defenders that were stupid enough to clump together. She could hear their dying screams as she charged the first captain, the one with the shotgun, and slammed into him with her shoulder. Diving on top of him, she started to beat away at her opponent's shields with void-infused fists.

She winced as another Fallen dropped lifeless though her scope. "Ghost, I hate killing. I understand its necessity in our situation, but it isn't an easy thing for me to do. I don't understand how guardians like her get used to it." Clair observed, trying to line up her next target. "I am not sure, guardian. I don't operate on the same moral code that you follow, just to enact the will of the Traveler. But I can say two things. One, you have a duty as a guardian to protect the people of the City, and I believe you can do it. I see it in your eyes." Her ghost said compassionately.

"But my eyes are under my he- oh I get it. What was the other thing?" she asked, intrigued.

"The little bastard's leg is sticking out." He said cheerily. Clair just smiled as she pulled the trigger as the vandal fell, clutching his leg and screaming in pain. She put another round through his head to silence it.

Hope grunted in exertion as she narrowly dodged another slash from the captain's sword. Quickly glancing around, she was surprised that the only two minions of darkness that still stood were the captains. "Did we do all this?" she muttered to no one in particular. " _Yep_." Her ghost responded, startling her. She ducked as the captain tried to take a chance to end this nuisance. She doubled over in pain as one of his fists was driven into her gut. She could hear Angel happily yell "Your mine now, bitch!" followed by a audible, wet _crack_ as she saw blood pool on the dirt, which rapidly soaked it up.

Her attention refocused on her opponent, when she felt a hand tighten around her throat and lift her off the ground. She could hear animalistic laughing as her vision began to blur. _This is the end_. She thought. Suddenly she felt air rush to her lungs as she dropped to the ground. Gasping for air, she could see the captain staggering to keep his balance as sniper rounds pounded his shields. He got a very nasty surprise from behind as his shields finally broke. Angel had taken the time to reload her auto rifle and unloaded the entire clip into its back. It screamed in pain as it was at the receiving end of so many rounds. Its screams stopped as one lucky bullet passed through an opening in its armor and severed its spine, ending its struggle.

Hope had just stood up when she was roughly shoved to the dirt.

"The hell was that? You could have killed yourself! Or more importantly, gotten me killed!" Angel roared, not even needing the comm channel to communicate.

"I was just trying to help!" Hope spat back angrily.

"Help?" she asked incredulously. "Help?! That wasn't help! It was suicide!" the titan screamed, fists clenched in rage. "You're lucky that coward up there had the guts to pull the trigger or you would just be a red smear on the dirt."

Hope stood up and shoved her back. "She has a name, bitch!"

"And I don't care! You two idiots shouldn't even be out here anyway! I'm stuck with you two weak links till we get your warp cores, but after that I'm off this fucking team. You aren't guardians, you're a liability!" Angel yelled as she roughly shoved passed Hope and summoned her sparrow. "Meet me by the Cosmodrome entrance. The sooner I can lose you two the better off I'll be." She said with a snap as she boosted away, sending up sprays of dust and snow.

"What was that all about?" Clair asked as she finally reached the small, deteriorated building.

"Nothing. Just some differences in strategy that's all." Hope said, trying to mask her anger.

"Alright then. Let's get our sparrows. Who hoo! Victory! We won, yay!" Clair joyfully squealed, pumping her fist in the air. Hope just followed, her shoulders tight with anger.

They rode in silence for the better part of an hour. Their ghosts had been right: traveling by Sparrow was much easier and faster than traveling by foot. They spotted the titan by a doorway, her arms crossed. They dismounted and trasmatted their sparrows back to Angel's ship.

"You're late." Angel said simply as they approached.

"Let's just get our cores and go." Hope snapped back, taking point with her scout rifle.

They made their way through the structure in silence, only talking to one another when directions had to be given. They ran into a few Fallen patrols, which were quickly eliminated, as to maintain some sort of surprise. As they entered a large open room filled with rusted parts, Hope thought it was right to comment.

"I think I was here before, right Ghost?" Her ghost merely appeared and nodded before disappearing just as quickly. Glancing over, she saw a large indentation in the dirt and a deep red spot on the ground but strangely, no corpse.

"Hmm, they moved the body I guess." She said offhandedly as their ghosts scanned the room for any leftover warp cores.

Angel scoffed as Clair cocked her head in interest. "Whose? A tiny mammal?" Angel asked snidely.

"No. Riksis, the Archon Slayer. Killed it all by herself." Hope's ghost said flatly as he continued to scan.

Angel snorted. "Bullshit. A squad of titans couldn't take him down. You expect me to believe she killed it by herself?""

"It's true. I have her visor replay if you would like to watch it." Her ghost said proudly.

Angel was about to open her mouth when she heard movement behind her. Whipping around, she felt her fist hit something soft, followed by a loud crack and a piercing scream. "Ambush! Their cloaked!" She yelled, brining her auto rifle to bear, scanning the room slowly, as did the others. Clair however, was not calm. Her breathing was fast and ragged; her eyes darted from side to side, searching for an enemy. She caught a blue outline approaching her and closed her eyes, firing rapidly. As she saw the corpse seemingly appear out of thin air, her eyes rolled back and she blacked out.

Hope saw the entire thing happen and moved to cover her teammate, scout rifle barking as another vandal dropped. Angel glanced over to see the hunter on the ground, Hope standing over her body.

"What the hell is she doing lying there?" Angel asked, grabbing onto a vandal and unloading into its chest.

"She had a panic attack and passed out!" Hope yelled back over the bark of her rifle.

 _What the fuck? Who ever heard of a guardian that suffered from panic attacks? Just another reason why they shouldn't be out here._ "You have got to be kidding me!" she screamed, picking up and vandal and throwing him across the room. She leveled her shotgun on a vandal and was about to pull the trigger when she felt an odd sensation in her stomach. Looking down she saw that three swords were sticking out of her armor. She screamed in pain and wrenched out two of the blades, plunging them into the nearest enemies to her before collapsing in pain.

"Angel!" she screeched, horrified.

She dragged Clair over to the fallen titan and let her rest there while taking a defensive position over their bodies, rifle swaying from side to side. Then she saw them: five blue outlines slowly approached her. She had to breathe deeply just to keep from pissing in her robes. _Ok, I got this. Or at least I hope so. Their lives are in my hands and I am not about to let them go._ "Ghost can you call the Tower, let them know were in trouble." She asked yanking a grenade from the titan's belt and lobbing it towards the enemy. They scurried out of the way as she took cover behind a concrete pillar.

"Afraid not. Something is jamming communications." He responded sadly.

Hope took a deep breath as the grenade detonated. One unfortunate vandal did not get far enough away and she could hear its tortured screams as it body was slowly pulled apart. Pulling out her fusion rifle, she let out two bursts, vaporizing its body. _Two down._ She thought as her fusion rifle continued to rain down elemental hell. It took her a couple of clips combined from her scout and fusion rifles to drop the next two. Giving a small sigh in relief she looked around for the last one, starting to get scared when she didn't immediately spot its blue shimmering outline.

"Ghost where is it?" she asked, panic creeping into her voice.

A loud scuffle drew her attention over to her companions. Angel was trying to fight it off in her weakened state and the Darkness-infused minion was laughing at her feeble attempts to throw it off. Hope could feel an anger welling up inside her, flowing from her toes to her head, just waiting to be let out. The rage pooled in her hand and it started to burn. With a pained shout she opened her hand her rage took a physical form in the shape of hot burning flames. The solar light slammed into the vandal's shielded side, throwing it off her wounded fire team and sending him flying off, screeching in his alien tongue.

"Leave. My. Team. Alone." She said menacingly, slowly approaching the vandal while he backed away in fear. Its hands grabbed one of his blades and it smirked and sung the blade with its newfound courage. Faster than either of them thought possible, Hope grabbed his hand mid-swing. It let out a startled cry and tried to yank its hand out of her grip, but it was like plasteel, light but unmoving. As she squeezed down harder and harder on his wrist she could feel the vandal's shields _literally_ being burned away by her touch. Burning through his armor, she clamped onto its skin, causing the flesh to char and its blood to boil. It let out the worst screech of pain Angel had ever heard.

Angel opened her eyes slowly. It was difficult considering her head was pounding and her vision was blurry. Seeing the sight in front of her caused her to blink hard multiple times, as if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Apparently, her ocular nerves were in no mood for games, because every time she opened them she saw the same image: Hope stood over the vandal, clamped onto its arm as she slowly burned her way through it, the minion withering in pain. Hope seemed to be satisfied with the charred remains of the arm and held it up as she repeatedly punched the poor creature in the face with a solar saturated fist. _Is… is she a Sunsinger? I have heard rumors of their existence, but there hasn't been one for over 200 years, or so I was told._ Angel shook her head in denial. _No, there is no way this rookie is a proper warlock, let alone a Sunsinger. My mind is simply playing tricks on me in my delusional state._

Hope felt her rage start to mellow. It was like her Light was temporarily in a state of flux, but now had returned to normal. The flames died out as wisps of smoke rose off her body. Blinking for a few moments she came face to face with a vandal. It was clearly dead. Its skin had been severely burned, almost unrecognizable, as chunks of charred flesh hung off the bone. She let go of the arm she had subconsciously been holding to watch the corpse fall lifelessly to the cold dirt. She fell to her knees. Whatever she had done to it, it had taken most of her physical endurance and reserves of Light. Breathing heavily and sweating profusely inside her helmet, she turned to see her team was stirring.

They were deep in space. Angel's ghost had transmatted the three of them to the ship as Clair's tooted off to recover the warp cores. Once those were on board, the ship broke orbit to take them back to the Tower. Angel was at the controls, taking occasional glances at her teammates. Clair was humming to herself and smiled when she locked eyes with the exo, as if any of that had never happened. Glaring at her, the titan moved onto the warlock. She was passed out, helmet on the deck and her head resting against the bulkhead. Her lilac-blue hair was stuck to her head like glue from all the sweat and exertion. Angel was exhausted as well, but being an exo, she didn't sweat. Or have hair.

As the ship docked, Clair said she wanted to explore the Tower some more and had her ghost transmat her out. As she happily bounded off somewhere she scowled at her through the small window. Seeing her cheery all the time was nauseating and she had an urge to throw up. But she pushed it down and looked at her fire team leader. _Some fucking leader you are. You bring in an inexperienced Hunter to the field, who by the way is too happy-go-lucky for her own good, and she had a panic attack in the middle of a firefight! Not to mention you jumped into a fight that was way beyond your capabilities, nearly getting me killed in the process. Honestly… who the fuck do you think you are?_ She let out a deep sigh and put her head in her hands.

Angel was torn between two directions. One: leave her here in the ship and go about her own business. She could even have her ghost hang around to catch her reaction when she eventually freaked out. Funny _and_ cold. In her mind, exactly what she deserved. The other option was the far kinder one. Carry her back to her quarters and put her on the bed, instructing her ghost to see Ikora about payment and the assignment of a personal jump ship. She weighted her options for a few minutes before finally deciding on option number two. As funny as it would be to see her reaction, Hope would most likely confront her about it and she was just tired of dealing with the warlock anyway. Actually, the both of them. _After this, I am seeing Zavala about an immediate transfer out of this shitstorm._ Sighing deeply again she donned her helmet and gently picked up Hope and her helmet carrying her bridal-style out of the ship.

 **Sorry if that was a long chapter. I hoped the battle scenes were to your liking. If you have any comments about it or feel like giving me tips, I'm all ears! See you all for the next chapter!**

 **Peace out!**

 **-Aggron Prime**


	4. Laying the Foundation

**Back for another one boys and girls! This next one will be a little more mellowed out than the last one, focusing more on the Tower and interactions between their fellow guardians. As always feel free to review, follow or whatever else strikes your interest! Let's fire this one up!**

Laying the Foundation

Angel was sitting by herself in one of the many cafeterias within the Tower. The monolith structure had glass walls and roof, so that the occupants inside could see the hustle and bustle of daily life within Earth's last city. There was fauna and foliage from all planets of the solar system, which swayed in the gentle breeze the open doors brought in. Besides this being the biggest spot to grab chow, it was also the best, dishing up whatever their patrons could think of. She stared at her food venomously, as if it had just insulted her mother, thinking over last night's events.

 _She had carried the exhausted warlock up to her room in the Life Wing, receiving more than the occasional odd look. It didn't bother her at all; she was just easing her own burden. Although, she did almost put Hope down to punch another titan in the face after he wolf-whistled at her, but decided to ignore it, much to her consciousness's chagrin. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally reached her destination. Calling Hope's ghost out of his space in his guardian's armor, he wordlessly opened the door for her, humming as he floated around the room._

 _After placing her gently on the bed and pulling the sheets over her, she looked about the room. It was sparse, as most new guardian's dorms were, having a standard bed, an attached bath, and a walk-in dresser. Ignoring the bathroom, she made her way to the closet, her footsteps muffled by the carpet. She noticed that it was empty and had an array of footlockers along the outline of the room. Shrugging, she turned around and closed the door. 'Not unusual,' She thought, as most guardians kept their gear either in their ships or in their personal vault. She had just reached the door when something stopped her, two things actually. One was that she spotted Riksis's infamous helmet on top of one of the mantles in her room with a hole in the side, proving that Hope had not lied to her. The second one being what the warlock's ghost said to her._

" _Aren't you going to remove her armor, she will be hot with all the sheets on top of her." The ghost asked hopefully._

" _No. Why would I do that? What is stopping you from just transmatting it off her?" She shot back in a hushed tone._

" _I feel it would be a violation of her privacy." He said determinately, opening up his guardian's battlefield report and scanning over it._

" _And I wouldn't be?" Angel asked, raising an imaginary eyebrow at him._

 _He shook his head before continuing. "Not unless your eyes lingered." He said cheekily before disappearing again._

 _Angel growled but followed the ghost's recommendation. Gingerly he removed the young girl's helmet and placed it gently on the floor. She stared at her teammate's face. She was beautiful, her odd colored hair adding to the smooth complexion of her skin. The exo watched as her chest rose and fell in a constant pattern, indicating she was in a peaceful sleep. Realizing what she was doing, she mentally slapped herself for her depravity. Working quickly, she removed the warlock's coat, first layer of armor, her pants and her boots. Organizing the items on the floor, she quickly left and shut the door, reminding Hope's ghost to pick up her guardian's pay._

 _Back in the hallway, she let out a deep breath, not realizing she had been holding it in. She made her way to the North Wing, to speak with the vanguards along with the Speaker about transferring to another fire team. If recent events were any indication, she had to remove herself before she either got them killed or they got her killed. Her uncomfortable feeling from earlier rapidly disappeared, replaced by anger at the day's events. She had to keep her mouth clamped shut and her balled fists at her sides, to avoid screaming expletives at the top of her lungs or punching the next person she ran into._

 _If she was not happy before, she was royally pissed when she left the North Wing. The vanguards all told her, more or less, that they could not allow the transfer because of 'recent guardian shortages' Bullshit! There were plenty of guardians who either didn't have a team or were lacking members. Hoping for a more positive answer, she went to the Speaker. Much to her disappointment he had told her that "The Traveler works in many ways. Maybe this is one of those ways. Besides, I can sense a connection between the three of you. It is small, but even a small fire when properly cared for can lead you through the darkness." Great. So even the wise Speaker, in his own way, was telling her to shut up and play the hand she had been dealt._

 _She needed to let off some steam. And she did, in a way only titans can. She went to the gym and pulverized every punching bag she could get her hands on. She was there for over two hours, venting her anger. By the time she left, she could see the faint tendrils of purple and orange peek over the nighttime horizon. She could barely lift her arms, but she didn't care one bit. She was still pissed, but not as much as before. As she entered her room, she had just enough energy left to tell her ghost to transmat her armor away before she collapsed on the bed, sound asleep._

* * *

A slight nudge to the side of her head brought her out of her recollection. Her stoic face turned sour as she turned to meet her culprit. "What do you think- oh, it's just you Blindside." She said as her ghost, Blindside, floated around her. It looked like a normal ghost but was gunmetal grey with pink tips, compared to the usual white and bland orange.

"Don't feel so bad." He said reassuringly, before adding "It wasn't her fault you ogled her body as she slept." He added in a snide tone. With lightning-like reflexes, she snatched him out of the air in a vice like grip, brining his eye to hers.

"Listen here, you little bastard." She said, glaring at him, but then relaxing her mood a bit. "After I tell them what I truly think of the stunts they pulled yesterday," she started, rubbing her stomach where the doctor's patched her up last night after dropping Hope off in her room. "I am going to kill you." She said with a friendly smile, as she lightly tossed him back into the air. Blindside had nothing to fear though, because he knew that she thought of him as a friend and just threw empty threats his way to shut him up. It usually worked, just not this time.

"Good, because you won't have to wait long on the first part, the Huntress is coming to your table even as we speak, my she is cheery today. Try not to stare at her chest _too_ much. I don't know what I would do without you, you big, horny oaf." He said comically, laughing as he rose into the air and floated away, ignoring her angry glares and threats of horrible death. Sighing angrily, she began to eat her food, trying to ignore her approaching teammate.

Clair sat down across from her, placing her tray on the table quietly. "Hi! Whatcha up to?" She asked happily, as she ate gracefully.

"Eating." She responded curtly before returning to her food.

Clair was currently wearing a light blue tank top and arctic camo pants that went over the tops of her blue running shoes. Her hair was tied in a neat ponytail behind her. The exo was dressed similarly, wearing a solid grey t-shirt, grey combat pants and black combat boots. Yawning and stretching her arms, Clair began to eat. The two of them sat like that for a few minutes before Angel made a comment.

"Is blue your favorite color?" She asked curiously.

Clair simply nodded, as her mouth was full of food. When she swallowed, she decided to extend the conversation. "What is yours? Do you have any missions today? I'm taking the day off since Cayde doesn't have anything for me and the bounty tracker has already handed out all of his missions, so until he gets some more I have nothing to do but explore around here."

Angel glared her awoken teammate, annoyed that she was always so cheery and would not stop asking questions. _She annoys me to all hell and back, but surly answering one question won't hurt…_ Angel thought before answering "grey" as her favorite color. Wrong move. That simple answer caused Clair to bombard her with question after question, causing her anger to rise, as she tried to eat her food in peace. When the titan had emptied the last of her meal, she had enough.

She stood up suddenly, causing her chair to fly backwards. "Do you _ever_ shut up?!" She yelled angrily, causing the background noise to die down as other guardians listened in on the scene she was making. Narrowing her eyes, she continued her rant. "It's bad enough I have to deal with your cheery ass _on_ the battlefield. Now, because I'm stuck with you two, I have to deal with you girls off the battlefield as well! Turning my only potential haven into a living nightmare!"

"But I was only trying to be nice-" Clair stated in a dejected tone, her shock still clearly evident from her teammate's outburst.

"Just leave me alone!" the exo screamed, before sharply turning on her heels and storming out, but not before roughly shoving Hope out of the way as she came through the doors. As Hope approached the table, the noise level picked up quite a bit, seeing that the little fiasco was over. Shuffling into the seat with a frown she began eating her food silently.

"What crawled up her ass and died?" Hope muttered angrily in between bites of eggs.

"She's always been like that, little lady. Don't let it bother you none." Came a cheery male voice from beside her, almost oozing in southern accent.

A large, human titan had slid in beside Clair. His armor was orange and blue with white accents. Hope was more than mildly surprised that the bench didn't collapse under his armors weight. _They must have had that in mind when they designed these things._ She thought before looking him over. He had brown eyes, spiky brown hair, light brown skin complexion, and a thick mustache. He finally noticed her and extended his armored glove.

"Names Tex, team Pegasus's leader. What's your name hun'?" He asked with a smile

"Hope." She answered, shaking Tex's hand. His grip was firm, but didn't try to crush her wrist as she heard other titans had done. "And this is Clair." She said, indicating to the Huntress across from her.

"Ooh, some sexy babes!" Said a voice to Hope's left. Turning her head she observed the person next to her. The awoken woman was about her height, with blonde hair, yellow eyes, and a very light green skin tone, almost white. She was adorned in green and brown robes with yellow accents. And she was quite obviously taking turns staring at their chests. Feeling self conscious, Hope covered herself with one arm and gave the new girl a frown.

"And you are?" she asked in a snappy tone.

"This little deviant here is Wendy. On the battlefield she is a saint with her void skills, but you girls better watch out for her outside of combat. She can be quite… predatory." Tex said, giving Wendy a look that said 'back off'. She responded by sticking her tongue out and charging on, unfazed.

"That's right! Girls or boys, human, exo, or otherwise I don't have any preferences. Just so long as they can put out as well as receive. I must say, you are some of the best girls here. Want to go back to my room?" She said with a huge grin plastered on her face as she continued staring, mentally undressing them.

Ignoring their newest addition to the table, Clair turned her attention to Tex. "She is quite…open with her wants, isn't she? Has she always been like this?" He just nodded and rolled her eyes as Wendy began to drool. Seeming to snap out of her stupor, she reentered the conversation.

"Hey have you seen silent, dark, and unknown gender today?" She asked Tex, as she made a grab for Hope's hand.

Tex let out a small chuckle when Wendy's hand was slapped away. "No. Like usual, she took her lunch and left." When the warlock and Huntress gave him confused looks, he continued. "The final member of our little band. Traveler-sent with a sniper rifle, but we can't get nothin' out her mouth. Not a peep. Don't even know his name. Wendy and I have an ongoing bet to see what gender he actually is. Were up to … 23,000 glimmer." His mouth slipped into a frown as the table went silent for a moment.

"Well, I have nothing to do today, so I would like to go shopping. But I really don't know my way around here too well. I was wondering if one of you could be my guide." Clair asked hopefully. Surprisingly, Wendy kept her mouth shut.

"I'll show you the way around, little lady." Tex said, standing up and extended his hand. Clair took it and they left the cafeteria, headed for the Merchant Wing. When they left Wend turned to her newest acquaintance.

"Is their anywhere you would like to go? Maybe go somewhere else for _dessert_?" She said in a seductive tone, licking her lips. Hope just shook her head.

"A more detailed tour around here would be nice. My last guide was pretty bad. And could we skip the Life Wing? I would rather not be privy to any more harassment today, thank you." She said honestly, but with a mock hint of annoyance. Wendy smiled and nodded, not in a sexual way but with sincerity.

* * *

Angel was walking through the lower hangers, looking at all the jump ships stored there. See when not in use, each guardian ship would be stowed vertically on a conveyor system, where the guardian could have easy, remote access to use its many functions, via their ghost. In the event of an emergency the guardian could transmat the entire ship to one of the Tower's many launch pads, fully fueled up and ready for immediate takeoff. But this was quite taxing to both man and machine, and was used only as a last resort.

As she strode through the halls she felt calmness wash over her. Letting out a sigh of relief, she walked onward, admiring the multitude of ships that adorned the racks above her head. She had her head down as she took a moment to relax, staring at the deck plates with a hint of awe in her eyes when she heard footstep approaching. While this place was no secret, she had only encountered a few other people on these walks, besides the usual mechanic or Holliday on one of her occasional lower hanger inspections. Angel decided to leave the other person alone to go about their business, but the voice snapped her head up.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little miss team killer." Said a conceited voice drenched in sarcasm and implied superiority. "I would think you would be up there, pulling your team apart piece by piece, not down here admiring your _single_ aged scrap heap."

Angel glared at the person leaning against the other railing, one arm at his side while the other held a new _Coiled Hiss 1919_ pulse rifle. She couldn't see his smug look behind his solid gold plated helmet, but she knew it was there. His warlock armor was made of the finest materials money could buy, interwoven with gold, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. His armor wasn't just for show though. Even through its incredibly over-designed flashiness, the plates underneath could take a serious beating. He reeked of expensive cologne, the smell almost overloading her senses altogether. He had a pompous air around him, treating everyone around him like crap, except for the Speaker and the Vanguards. He could get away with it too, because of his father. President of the largest weapons manufacturer left on Earth, he gave his son everything he could ever ask for.

New polished ship after every mission? Check. Shiny, top-of-the-line weapons? Check once again. Get out of trouble with the City police whenever he got into trouble, which was almost every day? Triple fucking check. He was a grade-A asshole who got away with almost anything, just because his daddy had the money to give his only child whatever he wanted. The ladies loved him even though he used them and threw them away the next day. They kept coming back because he had money that was it. That is the only way most people even slightly tolerated his antics and other bullshit he would pull.

Now don't take all that the wrong way. He knew good from evil, Light from Dark. Out in the field, he and his team of personal exos had your back. But as soon as taking your first step back into the safety of the City, he would go out of his way to make you feel like shit, before going off to make some poor other soul utterly miserable. To sum it all up: A grade-A womanizing asshole, who did and said whatever he wanted because his family had the money to constantly pull him out of trouble. The only person Angel hated more than Clair or Hope.

"The hell do you want, Samuel?" She snarled back.

"Tch. Tch. Tch. I was just admiring my _fleet_ of ships when I spotted your fine body standing under the hangar lights. Wanna go to a bar to get hammered, then back to my place to get another hammering?" He said in a cocky tone, blowing a kiss in her direction.

She rolled her eyes at his obvious gesture, resumed her glare while flipping him off. "I wouldn't do _anything_ with you, even if you were the last person in the universe. Go drown in a puddle." She deadpanned, before turning her heels and walking away, filled to the brim with disgust and annoyance.

* * *

"What? He really said that?" Hope said, trying to stifle a laugh but failing miserably.

Wendy merely nodded, laughing as well. Both of their ghosts were trailing behind them, occasionally scanning a weapon or set of armor. They had visited a merchant who specialized in ghost detailing and modification. Wendy's ghost, named Delight, had received a brown and green camouflage pattern to match her two legged companion. Flare, Hope's new name for her ghost, had also received a new paint scheme, at Wendy's urging. Even though he twitched a few times, causing the artist to restart, twice, he made it through the procedure. He was all white with tendrils of blue flames that extended from his core to the tips.

"You alright Flare?" Hope asked, still giggling.

"Not really. It's not like _you_ were the one being poked and prodded with lasers." He said irritated

She gave him a light pat, earning the ghost's equivalent of a frown before zooming off to observe something else. Wendy just shook her head and continued walking down the busy street. Tapping Hope on the shoulder, Wendy asked how affluent she was with her Void abilities; she got a confused look from the other warlock. Wendy laughed and gave her a 'stop messing with me' look as they entered an abandoned section of the City. When the look on Hope's face remained present she stopped laughing.

"Do you seriously not know what I'm talking about here?" Wendy asked. When Hope nodded, she pooled the Light within her and formed a baseball sized purple orb in her hand. She tossed it up a few times before letting it rest in her hand. "See?" The green warlock said smiling.

Hope felt off. She stared at the swirling orb of purple and seemed to be drawn into it, wanting to touch it, feel it. So, being human, and therefore somewhat curious by nature, reached out her hand. She heard Wendy scream, but ignored her as her gloved hand cradled the ball of Light. She could feel it hum with power. She had felt something akin to this before and now felt it again, only more controlled, more attuned. She felt the familiar fire burn within her, but she didn't feel a burning sensation, only a mildly warming one. Holding out her other glove, she observed an orange dot wink into existence. Focusing on that sensation, Hope watched it grow into roughly the same size as the purple one and let it rest solidly in her hand.

Wendy opened her eyes and nearly fainted at the sight in front of her. "H-how are you d-d-doing that?" she squeaked out.

"Doing what?" Hope asked, breaking her gaze from the two orbs in her hands.

"That." She said in a hushed tone, pointing first to the purple orb, then the orange one. "All the guardians I know cannot touch each other's light without being mildly injured in some way. Sometimes it isn't so mild. What does it feel like?" she asked hurriedly. She did a double take at the orange one, as if her brain didn't register what it was until now. "A-a-are you a S-s-Sunsinger? I thought the last one had been wiped out centuries ago." She added a look of utter shock on her face.

Hope just shrugged. "I don't know what I am. I just feel it and it comes to me. As to what they feel like? The purple one is mildly cool, while the orange one is warm to the touch." She looked over and was a crumbling building, which gave her an idea. With a grunt she threw the void ball as Wendy's face lost all color. It detonated on impact, vaporizing everything in a one meter radius and tearing and bending the molecular bonds of the old concrete wall. The wall bent and shifted in unnatural ways before resting in a contorted shape. When she whipped the orange one at the wall, the explosion was anything but smooth. The intense flames burned through everything around it, turning the weathered materials into ash and embers. What the fire didn't instantly incinerate, it left a lasting scorch mark that extended five feet in every direction. Embers floated through the air and there were little fires spread throughout the blast radius. She turned to look at her friend. All color had drained from her face and she was completely speechless.

"Let's get out of here," She said hearing voice approaching. "We are going to talk about this later." She added in a stern and urgent tone as she grabbed the Sunsinger's hand and dashed back into the crowd, their ghosts following from afar.

* * *

The six soldiers of the Light were sitting at a large booth in one of the more prestigious restaurants in the Tower. They were talking amongst themselves as they waited for their drinks. Lush red carpeting covered the floor as synthetic candles and low music added to the relaxed atmosphere. Clair, Tex and Angel sat on one side, while Wendy, Hope and U (Wendy's made up name for their third member), sat on the other. The six ghosts talked on a coded channel above their heads, adding a multicolored focal point to the scenery. Wendy had originally wanted to talk to Hope about her 'development' but after some renegotiating and an expertly timed message by Clair's ghost, Seaspray, they decided to bring it up at dinner that night. While Wendy had gone back out to do some shopping, Hope decided to hit the bed to catch some more sleep.

Clair had quite a few goodies from her shopping trip with Tex. On top of giving her ghost a custom, new look, she had also bought a new hand cannon and a sniper rifle. Tex even gave her one of his old machine guns. The weapon was heavy in her light frame, but she was confident she could get a handle on it in time. Seaspray was easily picked out among the other ghosts because of her paint that glimmered in the low light, showing off the underwater pattern.

Angel, although still pissed off at Samuel's unpleasant appearance and the fact she would have to be around her teammates again, she told Blindside to accept Seaspray's request. Going back to her room in the Life wing, she decided to shower and relax, which included chasing her laughing ghost up and down the halls for making more 'staring' comments. Donning her armor, she left for the eatery. As she crossed one of the many lush, green courtyards she met up with U and his/her ghost, Stalker. They walked in silence as Angel subtly observed him/her from behind, trying to pin down a gender.

When their drinks came, they ordered their food and silence once again overtook the table as they enjoyed their fresh beverages. U, being himself/herself, didn't say anything as she observed the others, noticeable only by slight shifts of his helmet. Tex and Angel were locked into a conversation about combat techniques, while Clair and Wendy were talking about their chosen patterns for their ghosts. Hope glanced about the table with a bored look in her face, sipping on her water.

" _Not quite fitting in, huh?"_ Flare asked, floating next to her out of nowhere.

She shook her head " _Then you and my guardian have a lot in common_." Stalker added. His dark voice was equally matched by his all black pattern, with long spikes extending from his sides. Flare let out a shiver as the black ghost floated up to the others.

" _Man that guy gives me the creeps._ " Flare said apprehensively before floating up to his mechanical friends.

Hope joined in on a few conversations, even exchanged some brief remarks with Angel before their food arrived. As they dug in, conversation turned to Riksis. Tex muttered something about a small army of titans probably filled the guardian-killing bastard with bullet holes. Angel laughed and shook her head, prompting the others to look her way.

"What's with the laugh? Do you know something about it?" Tex asked, only receiving a nod in response.

"That big guy had a real thick skull. I thought I'd never get through." Hope added nonchalantly. The entire table went dead silent. Lone guardians killing important targets? Rare. A single warlock? Even more so. But a rookie, and in close quarters no less? Virtually unheard of. They stared with a mixed look of awe and shock on their faces. Finally snapping out of their amazement they began asking her questions. Not an enormous amount, just enough to keep the conversation alive. They talked and talked as the restaurant slowly emptied into the night. When Wendy's ghost, Delight, told them they only had fifteen minutes before the restaurant closed, the decided to call it a night. U left first, being trailed by Stalker. Angel and Clair left a few minutes later, the exo ignoring the Huntress's presence altogether. Finally Tex, bade his farewells and left for the Vanguards. That just left Wendy and Hope standing just outside the door.

The cool night breeze blew gently through their hair. They sat there in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the ships passing all around them. There was nobody else on this street and the restaurant had turned off its lights, leaving the surrounding area in darkness. Leaning in, Wendy gave Hope a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you," She whispered, a smile on her face and a single tear forming in the corner of her eye. "That monster killed my sister." Was all she said before leaving Hope alone looking over the City.

 **Sorry if this turned into kind of a fluff chapter. It was more for character introduction than anything. And I realize it hasn't been my best work and somewhat dragged on towards the end. I'm sorry. I promise the next one will be better! Love to hear your thoughts! Few things before I go though:**

 **One: I will be gone July 4** **th** **weekend and I will not be able to upload. I won't have a computer either, but that doesn't mean I won't brainstorm! You can expect another chapter sometime around July 10** **th** **-ish. Sorry again.**

 **Two: In case any of you were confused by the addition of new characters, here is a quick list of all the ones so far.**

 **Hope- Female Human warlock (Sunsinger)**

 **Ghost: Flare**

 **Clair- Female Awoken hunter (Bladedancer)**

 **Ghost: Seaspray**

 **Angel- Female Exo titan (Defender)**

 **Ghost: Blindside**

 **Tex- Male Human titan (Unknown)**

 **Ghost: Unknown**

 **Wendy- Female Awoken warlock (Voidwalker)**

 **Ghost: Delight**

 **U(Unknown real name)- ? Hunter (Unknown)**

 **Ghost: Stalker**

 **Samuel: Male Human warlock (Voidwalker)**

 **Ghost: Unknown**


End file.
